Walpurgisnacht: May 1st in the Northern Traditions

We are coming up on one of the Holy Tides common to Heathens, Wiccans, and many Pagans: Walpurgis or Beltane. While the focus of the holiday might vary somewhat depending on which tradition one is coming from, the underlying theme remains the same: May 1 is a time to celebrate the blossoming of the land, of its vibrancy and fecundity and by extension it is a holiday that also celebrates our own vibrancy, fecundity, and sexuality.

Historically, this holiday celebrated the joy of having a fully stocked larder. The Anglo-Saxons called it Thrimilci, ‘three-milk month’ because this was a time when, after the cold, hard months of winter, the cows could be milked three times a day. There were, after months of winter rationing, eggs and milk aplenty. So many of our sacred tides involve food, or a celebration of food, of having enough to eat and to sustain ourselves and I find this very telling. Our ancestors didn’t have Wal-Mart or Stop-and-Shop. They lived off the land and followed its cycles and if the crops failed, perhaps they starved. People were far more intimately connected to Erda, Mother Earth, than we are today. The average person knew that if Her favor was not forthcoming, that the coming winter might prove a very harsh one indeed.

While Spring Equinox celebrations honor the end of winter and the springtime awakening of the land, Beltane and Walpurgis specifically honor the plenty that comes from the land. Trees are blooming, flowers are bursting into a bright panoply of color, the first planting has probably already occurred, and of course, it’s a time of “spring fever.” Many of the traditional elements of this holiday emphasize sexuality, the stirring of the blood, the celebration of the flesh. We have the May-pole, which is, to quote the cult-classic “Wicker Man”: A phallic symbol. I think that perhaps because this holiday occurs not long after the first tilling of the soil that there is a natural connection between planting of crops with the planting of a different type of seed. That is why sex in all its various forms is such a common offering in private Beltane rites. It’s a wonderful time for those who are connected to Deities strongly associated with sex, or who have a strong connection to the land to gift those Deities and land spirits with sexual energies…if possible, by having intercourse outside, on the grass and soil and consecrating the energy to Their use. (Of course it goes without saying that this should only be done on one’s own private land with consenting adults. It is not necessary to do this in order to honor this holiday, but it is one way for couples to celebrate together. For those not so inclined, this is a good time to honor Deities of love, romance, and sex and to honor those relationships that are most important in one’s life be they romantic or not.).

Walpurgis has another, more arcane aspect to it as well. It is traditionally a holiday associated with magic, witchcraft, and the renewal of power. In the Northern Tradition both the Goddess Freya and the Goddess Holda are strongly connected to this particular time. Both are Goddesses of witchcraft and occult power. Traditionally celebrated not on May 1, but on April 30, Walpurgis was considered a time of immense occult power. Just as fecundity is returning to the land, so it is returning to the unseen rivers and streams of energy from which magicians might pull their power.

I often suggest, for those planning a Beltane ritual, that they plan a rite that honors the Vanir Gods and Goddesses. This family of Deities was strongly associated with abundance, fertility, sexuality, and wealth in all its forms. It is also a time to honor Earth, and the sacred element of Fire. Fire holds a very important role in Norse cosmology: it is our eldest ancestor, being along with ice, the element from which all life sprung. Fire is very important on so many levels both ritually and in our every day life. For our ancestors it was an immense gift: with the blessings of fire, one could cook one’s food, warm one’s home, drive off animals in the night. One could temper metal, work glass, craft clay into usable items, forge not only weapons but things that made life better for one’s tribe and community. Fire is intimately bound up with civilization. For all its wildness and destructive power, fire is essential to human creativity.

One traditional accoutrement to any good Beltane ritual (provided it can be held outdoors), is a bonfire.  Fire it intimately bound up in the celebrations of this Holy Tide because fire is not only essential to civilized life, but symbolically represents vitality, life, lust, and passion. So Beltane is a good time to honor Deities of Fire as well as Deities of abundance and sexuality. It is a good to time laugh, rejoice, pour out offerings and say “thank you” for all the blessings we have been given throughout the year. Honor the spirits of fire, who, by their very presence, hallow and transform. Celebrate the abundance that we have been given. I often honor the Goddess Gefion, who is associated with both wealth and land at this time. Regardless of which Deities you decide to honor: rejoice. That is what this holiday is all about in a way: honoring the sacred spark of life and its continuation and transformation.

Happy Walpurgis.